Get to know: Medusa

by Jessie Burton

Medusa is listed as a YA book by its publisher, Bloomsbury. I believe that adult readers will also enjoy this retelling of the ancient Greek story.

Jessie Burton does a wonderful job of bringing Medusa to life in a way that will help readers to understand and have empathy for her complex character. Medusa’s voice shines through. She has a revelatory style and often speaks directly to the reader.

Many know to associate with Medusa with snakes. Here the snakes are very much alive and each has its own personality. The difficulties of Medusa’s unwanted transformation are beautifully presented.

Other mythological folks come into this story. There are Perseus, Zeus, Poseidon and others including Medusa’s sisters. Thus, a whole world is created.

In addition, this book is illustrated. Adults may enjoy this as how often do we get to read and also see depictions of a story? This is something that is not generally found in books directed to adults.

I highly recommend this title. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.